Chloe Lukasiak is one of the beloved young dancers from the show Dance Moms. Today, she is also an accomplished author, actress, and YouTuber. Chloe Lukasiak talks the evolution of her dance career and what makes a leader.

Tells us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Chloe Lukasiak, and I am 16 years old. I started dancing when I was 2 years old, and when I was 9 years old, I was cast in the reality television show Dance Moms. I started acting about 2 or 3 years ago and am recently a published author!! I also have a YouTube channel.

When and why did you start dancing?
I started dancing when I was 2 years old and my mom put me in class because she thought every little girl should take a dance class. I tried other things like basketball, soccer, piano, softball, etc. but dance was the only one that stuck.

BODYSUIT by WHITE FOX / JEWELRY by VANESSA MOONEY / COAT by IJIN

You were part of the original cast of Dance Moms. Was it difficult to have your life and childhood being public or did you enjoy it?
To be quite honest, it is challenging having your whole life on display. Especially when I was going through puberty; no one wants to watch that! I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunities that I do, but it can be difficult sometimes.

What was your favorite part about being on Dance Moms?
I liked getting to travel the country, doing what I love, with my best friends. It was a pretty awesome childhood.

Dance is one of the most important things in your life. How have you seen that change or evolve as you grow up?
I’ve had lots of ups and downs with dance. I fell out of love with it for a period of time because of certain circumstances. After I left the show, I found that passion and drive for it again. And now that I’m getting older, I’m learning to appreciate it more. I’m not old yet but I worry about the future a lot and I know that one day I won’t be able to dance like I do now so I try not to take any moment for granted.

You are the perfect example that no matter how young someone is, they can still achieve great things. However, because of your age do you ever feel that people underestimate your talents and abilities? How do you overcome that?
People are often surprised at my age when they ask me how old I am. I don’t think they necessarily underestimate me though. I just continue working and doing what I love and forget about the rest. If they underestimate me, I just have to prove them wrong!

You recently released your book, Girl on Pointe: Chloe’s Guide to Taking on the World. What has that been like?
It’s been unbelievable. It is only now just hitting me that I am a published author. It’s very surreal.

How would you define the term ‘’leader”? What qualities do you think leaders possess that makes them successful?
I think a leader is someone who is selfless, brave, kind, passionate, encouraging, and persistent. Each leader is different, and therefore their success will vary, but I think these are important qualities to possess. We need more admirable leaders!